Local Dems support 2 in same council race
Got a call late Thursday with the news: The San Bernardino County Democratic Central Committeee voted to endorse Rick Avila and Carolyn Tillman, two of three candidates vying to knock Republican incumbent Chas Kelley out of his 5th Ward council seat ...
Apparently, the double endorsement in the tightly contested nonpartisan race wasn't by design, but was the result of a "mathematical flaw" in the groups bylaws, said committee vice chair Mark Westwood.
The committee voted for Avila and Tillman separately at its meeting at the Carousel Mall Thursday, with Avila netting 78 percent approval and Tillman garnering 63 percent.
In addition to those endorsements, Avila and Tillman have split other Democratic support. Avila recently got the Foothill Democratic Regional Alliance's support. Tillman secured the Democratic Luncheon Club.
Avila, 44, is a new Democrat, having been a registered independent for most of his adult life until he switched parties last month.
"I've always been someone who thinks and votes like a Democrat," Avila told this reporter.
Avila and Tillman will be hard pressed to unseat Kelley, particularly with the potential that they will split some Democratic votes.
Campaign finance reports submitted late Thursday showed Kelley with $34,312 on hand, by far the most of any council candidate in any of the city's four contested wards.
Avila had just $321 as of Sept. 22, but said he'll be loaning himself $5,000 more from his construction business. Avila has spent $6,721 this year.
Tillman's 460 form was missing a summary page Thursday, but showed that she had received $9,689 this year, and spent $3,441.
Westwood said that because Avila faired relatively well in his 2005 bid for mayor, local Dems think he may be the candidate to overcome the huge financial disadvantage and beat Kelley.
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Surprise surprise,surprise,
What would you expect from a Democratic club. they are
so vested in change just for the purpose of change that they cannot see what a disaster the replacement of Chas Kelley would do to the Ward. Of course, none of these democratic folks live in the Ward or are so blinded by the Mayor's non- action for our City that they cannot help but shoot our City in the foot by their ignorant meddling. If it ain't, broken, don't fix it. The 5th Ward is not broken and has an admirable track record in Mr. Kelley.s accomplishments.
I'd sent this post to another section of the blog and it fits there, but it fits here, too.
As an aside to Joe Ortiz and his cohorts:
It's nice to see we agree about something ~ none of this is personal, it's political discourse. ~Susana~
I like to respect each ward's decision about who is best suited to represent them and leave it at that. When you mentioned Chas Kelley, I thought to write but thought that best left to his constituents. When you then mentioned Neal Derry deserving our thanks, I felt compelled to respond.
You see, I am invited to speak at meetings throughout our city and have been an extremely active local community betterment guest speaker and organizer/facilitator at meetings since 1991.
Chas Kelley stands out as someone who is frequently present at meetings - even outside his ward - offering a presence of City Hall's ear to the members of the public turning out for after-work community meetings.
In the Cajon-Northpark region of Neal Derry's ward, the active community members have been emphatic in their repeated complaints to me and anyone else who will listen that Neal Derry DOES NOT RESPOND TO CONSTITUENT COMMUNICATIONS TIME & TIME AGAIN, WITHOUT EXCEPTION. Requests for him to attend community meetings are IGNORED; no declining the invitation, just dead silence.
I have personally been present at meetings in this part of Neal Derry's ward where the sole city council representation is that of CHAS KELLEY.
I have NEVER heard so much as one disparaging remark about Chas Kelley - and I have yet to observe an instance of him acting in any but the most admirable of ways.
Chas has no political motivation for attending the meetings in Neal Derry's ward. After all, it IS Neal Derry's ward, not Chas Kelley's ward.
Still, Chas Kelley's presence at the meetings in his own ward as well as providing city council representation at meetings COMPLETELY IGNORED BY NEAL DERRY REPEATEDLY in Neal's ward is a fine testament to his dedication to San Bernardino.
Thanks, in this instance, are only deserved and earned by CHAS KELLEY. NEAL DERRY HAS DONE NOTHING TO EARN THANKS THAT I HAVE HEARD ABOUT FROM HIS CONSTITUENTS OR SEEN MYSELF - not even after I have shared the news that he is inattentive with others in a position to encourage and mentor him.
Your Friend & Neighbor Supporting Local Community & Personal Betterment In San Bernardino,
Susana Atanasova
Originally Posted by: Susana Atanasova | September 28, 2007 12:04 AM in another section of SBNow Blog
Here's something visitors may well enjoy experiencing:
Select a Candidate
Answer the 11 questions below to find out which candidates are most aligned with your views and opinions. You may skip questions if you do not want them factored into the results. This quiz is not meant to pick your candidate for you. It is designed to inform the public of the various stances candidates make. Results are not scientific. Based on a tool developed by Minnesota Public Radio.
CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE:
http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460
Susana Atanasova